A goat and three chickens were decapitated in an apparent sacrifice and dumped into Biscayne Bay where they washed up behind a luxury South Beach condominium to the horror of residents.
-----(Snip)-----

Couto said the animals appeared to have been killed as part of a Santeria or Palo Mayombe rite. Santeria, which blends West African religious beliefs with Roman Catholicism, revolves around the worship of saints. Palo Mayombe, a more obscure religion, is associated with petitioning the spirits of the dead.

-----(Snip)-----

Reyes said signs of Afro-Caribbean religious sacrifices can be found throughout Miami-Dade, from the Miami River to the train tracks at Flagler Avenue to the downtown courthouse to Sewell Park in Miami, where supplicants place apples near palm trees.